Marcheselli Music Studio, Isabel Marcheselli
I am a musician and educator. I create original multi-genre music, perform for special events and concerts, and offer lessons. I have a private, independent, beginner-friendly piano studio, Marcheselli Music Studio, currently based in Westfield, Western Mass, through which I provide live and online piano lessons to students of all ages.
One of the things that sets my studio apart is that, in addition to offering traditional piano lessons, as a pianist who also sings, I am happy also to provide supportive coaching to non-traditional piano students who wish to learn to both sing and play the piano at the same time, and who are willing to put in the work needed to learn to do so. Another one of my strengths is motivational performance coaching, which helps students build the confidence to perform in front of others.
I was working at my local recreation center as a piano teacher when I felt a growing desire to help even more students and expand my service schedule. Opening up my own piano studio has allowed me to do that.
I offer highly customized lessons to my students, and many continue to see me for years, long after they have passed their early beginner stage. I also strive to create afamily-friendly atmosphere in my piano studio, and I am proud to own a studio that offers students an enhanced and personalized piano lesson experience. For example, one of my current and longest-running piano students is someone I first taught when she was just 4 years old. Recently, she passed her driving exam! My father, an engineer who helped NASA launch satellites into outer space, was a great teacher to me, teaching me, among many things, to embrace technical challenges, which are inevitably encountered in progressive piano studies. Students also appreciate the personal touch of a patient piano teacher who cares.
One of the low points is eventually having to say farewell to the kiddies I have taught for years as they finally head off to college. One of the high points is building rapport with piano students and being part of a musical movement here in Western Mass and beyond. During a time when the sales of pianos are down, it is important to me to keep interest in the piano and the art of piano playing alive in today’s world. I believe that learning to play the piano as a skill, especially among young people, can help keep kids out of trouble, give them a break from all of the scrolling on devices, and instill in them an appreciation for the arts. It's great to be a part of all that.
After I got nationally certified as a piano teacher by Music Teachers National Association, I began to look around me for more opportunities to teach piano. Since I had moved to Western Mass from New York, I felt unfamiliar with the region. I turned to SCORE to learn the basics of business planning and networking, and to tackle the overwhelming tasks ahead.
Many wonderful things have come out of being mentored by SCORE. I will mention just a few highlights. With my mentor's support, for example, I found the courage and wherewithal to transition to online piano teaching —a monumental and necessary task, especially during the pandemic. I was able to adapt to the times and do what was needed to keep students learning to play the piano through distance learning. Not without fits and starts, but it was a tremendous breakthrough for me. Online lessons have now become a staple for me, alongside the live lessons I offer. Also, our studio recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of serving students in western Massachusetts and beyond, which was a very happy occasion just this past spring.
Another surprise development has been the opportunity to take my piano teaching into the local public school system. It has been great to have the chance to positively impact more public school students in grades 4-6! I came across students who were very eager to learn how to play the piano.
Lastly, I was inspired to fortify another business I had started, my wedding music service, Marcheselli Wedding Music, which I founded in 2018. Through this business, I serve as a wedding musician and singer. As the piano was built to play beautiful, lyrical piano music, it feels very natural to me to perform piano music for weddings, as I just did this autumn for a wedding.
I can’t say enough good things about the value of SCORE mentorship. SCORE has my heartfelt appreciation for its support. I am grateful for the ways that being mentored has broadened my perspective, challenged me, and helped me to move forward in my work. A business is not simply a “business,” especially when you’re talking about a business in the arts; it is a personal labor of love. At the end of the day, I consider myself part of a group of people who strive to make a difference, day by day, through my business.
A TON of things, it’s impossible to list them all here! Teaching piano students of all ages has confirmed to me that, where there is a will, there is a way in music studies. Among my success stories is a student who, as a retiree, started her piano studies as an absolute beginner late in life. Yet, with commitment and dedication to piano practice over several years, she now plays original music by Bach with increasing ease. In another instance, a student whom I taught since he was an absolute beginner at the age of 10 went on to study with me for years and got accepted into Berklee’s college piano department, and released an album of original piano music. The human spirit is capable of accomplishing so much, and I am honored to play a supportive role in facilitating artistic growth in my students.
Business development and marketing professional with highly successful B2B and B2C sales and...
